Content

This level 8 foundational unit surveys Christologies developed outside the corpus Christianum and in response to questions not considered within the Western cultural and historical frame of reference. This will include images of Jesus Christ developed through such language as ‘Bodhisattva’, ‘Avatara’, ‘guru’, ‘prophet’, or ‘ancestor’, Asian treatments of the ‘cosmic’ Christ, the possibility of a ‘hyphenated-Jesus’ or of M. M. Thomas’ ‘Christ-centered Syncretism’ in relation to Hinduism, liberation Christologies within Latin America, and Jesus as the power against the demonic within Africa. A number of issues present themselves through this discussion: the question of theological tradition and method, the use of local sacred sources, the social and political implications of thinking Jesus Christ through a range of lenses, and the issues of contextualisation. Special attention will be given to the variety of mission emphases different Christological formulations promote.

Unit code: DM9079P

Unit status: Archived (New unit)

Points: 24.0

Unit level: Postgraduate Elective

Unit discipline: Missiology

Delivery Mode: Online

Proposing College: Pilgrim Theological College

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Learning outcomes

1.

Articulate a range of Christological formulations and the central theological concerns they embody;

2.

Identify the background cultural issues and values prompting these theological developments;

3.

Support the use of Christology in the formation of mission theory;

4.

Evaluate the potential benefits of these formulations for theological discourse within multicultural Australia;

5.

Develop an in-depth critical engagement with one of the Christologies examined.

Pedagogy

Online learning materials, tasks and tutorial discussion

Indicative Bibliography

  • Brinkman, Martin E., Henry Jansen, and Lucy Jansen. The Non-Western Jesus: Jesus as Bodhisattva, Avatara, Guru, Prophet, Ancestor or Healer? Routledge, 2014.
  • Clarke, Clifton R. African Christology: Jesus in Post-Missionary African Christianity. Eugene, OR: Wipf & Stock, 2011.
  • Douglas, Kelly Brown. The Black Christ. Maryknoll, NY: Orbis Books, 1993.
  • Green, Gene L., Stephen T. Pardue, and K. K. Yeo, eds.* Jesus without Borders: Christology in the Majority World* Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 2014.
  • Küster, Volker. The Many Faces of Jesus Christ: Intercultural Christology. London: SCM Press, 2001.
  • Orevillo-Montenegro, Muriel. The Jesus of Asian Women. Maryknoll, NY: Orbis Books, 2007.
  • Pope-Levison, Priscilla and John R. Levison. Jesus in Global Contexts. Louisville, KY: Westminster John Knox Press, 1992.
  • Schreiter, Robert J., ed. Faces of Jesus in Africa Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 1995.
  • Stinton, Diane B. Jesus of Africa: Voices of Contemporary African Christology. Maryknoll, NY: Orbis Books, 2004.
  • Thomas, M. M. The Acknowledged Christ of the Indian Renaissance. London: SCM Press, 1969.

Assessment

Type Description Word count Weight (%)
Book Review

1000 word book review of one primary text, which is to be selected in consultation with the lecturer

1000 25.0
Essay

Critical 5000 word essay focused on a particular Christology or Christological theme, with some attention paid to its potential significance for mission theory, and the student’s own local context.

5000 75.0
Approvals

Unit approved for the University of Divinity by John Capper on 19 Oct, 2015

Unit record last updated: 2022-10-04 14:52:40 +1100